TCL assumes manufacturing and distribution of Blackberry devices

Blackberry and TCL have entered into a long-term license agreement, which includes licensing the brand and manufacturing smartphones. Blackberry is a pure software vendor.

Blackberry is transforming itself from the smartphone manufacturer to the provider of security software and services: the Canadians now a long-term license agreement with the Chinese TCL Communication, which here sold smartphones under the brand Alcatel, closed.

Under the agreement, Blackberry will license its smartphone software, including its associated trademark rights, to the TCL Communication, which will take over the design, manufacture, sale and customer service for Blackberry mobile devices.

Blackberry maintains software itself

TCL Communication will be the exclusive worldwide manufacturer and distributor of all Blackberry-branded smartphones, with the exception of the following countries: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Blackberry emphasizes that you will continue to develop and control all your security and software solutions, support your customers and maintain your own smartphone software.

The step is the consequence of the new strategy of Blackberry, which initially included the switch from its own operating system to Android. In addition, TCL has already built this year’s Blackberry smartphones DTEK50 and DTEK60, which were supplemented by the software of the Canadians.

It is expected that TCL will offer the Blackberry products next to the technically likely closely related smartphones and other mobile devices of its brand Alcatel. As there are also tablets and a first 2-in-1 device, the selection of Blackberry terminals could even grow in the future.